PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Pine Bluff is working to change the narrative of its downtown, where once-bustling blocks now include boarded-up storefronts and historic buildings in need of investment.

City leaders say they have already taken important steps forward — and now they’re aiming higher, applying for a National Heritage Area designation that could bring national recognition and federal funding to accelerate the progress already underway.

The effort, led by the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotion Commission in partnership with Jefferson and Lincoln Counties, is part of a broader application to establish the Arkansas Delta National Heritage Area.

If successful, Pine Bluff would join just 62 such regions in the United States recognized by Congress for their unique cultural and historic sig

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